"Mom... Mom..." A distorted chorus of children's voices echoed through the underground chamber, mingling with the wails of countless people. The sound was bone-chilling. The Holy Child Phantom's pure-black pupils fixed on Zhu Shen, hollow enough to seem capable of sucking in all the light. It floated above the center of the altar, beneath the letter, its pallid form that of a three-year-old child. Against the dark-red evil energy, it looked all the more uncanny.
A chill shot from the soles of Zhu Shen's feet straight to his scalp, and his heart pounded wildly. This thing was calling him Mom? That was more terrifying than clutching his chest in front of the Pope Palace! He instinctively touched his face. Thank goodness, his handsome face was still there. [Ding! Detecting that the host has experienced an epic fright. Hidden reward triggered: heart stress tolerance +5%! Current total heart stress tolerance: 25%!] The system's prompt carried a touch of ill-timed amusement.
"System, shut up! Is this really the time to boost my stress tolerance?!" Zhu Shen roared inwardly. His facial muscles stiffened as he struggled to keep calm. From the corner of his eye, he glanced at the floating letter. Under the Holy Child Phantom's gaze, the envelope shook even more violently. Pink light and dark-red evil energy interwove wildly, hissing with a piercing sound. The purple patterns on its surface flickered on and off, as if it might explode at any moment.
The Mandala Eye on the back of Tang San's head burned like a branding iron. The agony of the mental assault had left his face deathly pale, and he had to brace himself against the icy stone wall to keep from collapsing. He looked at the eerie Holy Child Phantom, then at his teacher's face, which was doing its best to maintain the "Grandmaster's bearing" but was on the verge of cracking. For the one hundred and third time, he sighed inwardly. His teacher's key items always managed to land them in the deadliest places.
The Holy Child Phantom seemed pleased with the letter's reaction. Its pure-black pupils shifted slightly, moving their gaze from Zhu Shen back to the violently shaking pink envelope. It reached out its pallid little hand and made a grasping motion toward the letter. A formless suction force burst forth. The altar's dark-red evil energy found an outlet and surged toward the letter!
[Warning! "Bibi Dong's Love Letter" is being corrupted by high-intensity Evil God energy! Item mutation accelerating! Warning: mutation direction uncontrollable! Host, retrieve the item immediately! Otherwise, it may be permanently damaged!]
"My letter! My affection bonus!" Zhu Shen instantly forgot his fear, his heart aching so badly he could hardly breathe. This thing was key to winning Bibi Dong over! Ignoring the Holy Child Phantom's horror, he let the golden light of Dragon God Body Protection flare and charged forward against the clinging pressure of the evil energy. "Xiao San, cover me!"
Tang San endured the mental pain and forcibly focused his Purple Demon Eye. He saw that his teacher was going for the letter and understood how important it was to him, though the reason was absurd. He gave a low shout. Several tough strands of Blue Silver Grass slid soundlessly along the ground like snakes, curling toward the altar patterns beneath the Holy Child Phantom in an attempt to disrupt the flow of energy. At the same time, he flicked his wrist and silently launched the few remaining poison needles coated with paralyzing powder, aiming straight for the phantom's pure-black eyes.
Three feet from the phantom, the poison needles and Blue Silver Grass struck an invisible wall. They withered and melted in an instant, crumbling into ash. The Holy Child Phantom didn't even lift its eyelids. Its little hand continued reaching steadily for the letter. The pink light on the envelope dimmed rapidly, while the purple patterns glowed with an eerie light, as though resisting the evil energy—or perhaps struggling to absorb it.
"Damn it! No use!" Zhu Shen had already reached the edge of the altar. He swiped his dragon claws at the floating letter. Just as his fingertips were about to touch the envelope, the Holy Child Phantom whipped its head around, its pure-black pupils fixing on Zhu Shen once more!
"Mom... Mom..." The overlapping wails suddenly rose in pitch, forming a tangible wave of mental force that slammed into Zhu Shen!
[Warning! Second assault from the Holy Child's will! Dragon God Body Protection's defensive power reduced by 50%! Mental resistance check in progress... Check failed! Host afflicted with mental shock (moderate)!]
Zhu Shen's head rang. His vision went black as if he'd been struck by a sledgehammer. His charge halted instantly, and his body staggered backward against his will. The golden light of Dragon God Body Protection wavered violently, crackling as if it could no longer bear the strain. The golden glow flowing beneath his skin dimmed considerably. The faint warmth of the letter in his arms had turned bone-cold.
"Teacher!" Tang San cried out, trying to force himself forward, but his mental injuries slowed him down.
The Holy Child Phantom seemed somewhat "confused" by Zhu Shen's reaction and tilted its head. In that brief lull, the violently shaking "Bibi Dong's Love Letter" suddenly erupted with one last burst of brilliant pink light! Amid the glow, the purple patterns on the envelope sprang to life and spread in an instant, interweaving into an exceedingly tiny yet sharply defined image—a phantom of a majestic purple eye!
The instant the phantom eye appeared, the Holy Child Phantom's hand froze mid-reach. Its pure-black pupils rippled violently for the first time! It let out a silent shriek, piercing beyond measure and brimming with pain and terror! The evil energy throughout the underground chamber instantly went berserk, and the altar's light flickered erratically!
[Ding! "Pope's Will Mark" activated! "Bibi Dong's Love Letter" item's ultimate defense mechanism triggered! Evil God energy corruption interrupted!]
The pink light, carrying the phantom purple eye, slammed into the Holy Child Phantom! There was no earth-shattering explosion, just a soft sound like glass cracking. The Holy Child Phantom rippled and twisted like water struck by a pebble. Its pallid body turned transparent, and unmistakable terror showed in its pure-black pupils! It abruptly withdrew its little hand and drifted backward, vanishing in an instant into the surging dark-red light at the center of the altar. The altar's glow rapidly faded with it, leaving only a dim red flicker, frail as a candle in the wind. The evil energy's intensity plummeted.
The pink light and the phantom purple eye on the envelope vanished at the same time, as though they had exhausted all their power. The letter stopped shaking and floated quietly above the altar. But besides the purple patterns, its once-smooth paper was now covered in fine, web-like dark-red cracks. Its overall aura had also grown weak and chaotic.
[Warning! "Bibi Dong's Love Letter" item critically damaged! Affection bonus temporarily disabled! New unknown mutation state: residual Evil God energy corruption (minor). Warning: Pope's Will Mark energy depleted!]
Zhu Shen had just recovered from the dizziness of the mental assault when he saw what had happened. He nearly choked. "My letter! My affection! System, can this still be repaired?" He lunged forward and snatched the falling letter. It was cold in his hand, with none of the warm, pulsing sensation it had had before. The web-like dark-red cracks on the envelope made his heart bleed.
Tang San relaxed as well, leaning against the stone wall to catch his breath. The pain at the back of his head had eased a little. "Teacher... It seems like... it ran away?" He pointed to the center of the altar, where only a faint trace of evil energy remained.
"Ran away? I say it just crawled back inside!" Zhu Shen gritted his teeth and stowed the damaged letter, his heart twisting with pain. He looked around. The altar had dimmed, but the evil energy hadn't vanished completely. The red dot still stubbornly glowed on the system map, though much more faintly. "We can't stay in this hellhole. Who knows if that thing might pop back out? Xiao San, can you walk?"
Tang San nodded and forced himself to stand straight. "I can, Teacher."
Just then, a commotion of footsteps and shouts came from above, in the direction of the narrow cellar entrance. Blinding beams of Soul Guidance Lamps shone down!
"People below! We're the Spirit City patrol! Stop resisting immediately, put your hands on your heads, and come up!" It was the patrol leader from earlier, his voice stern and uncertain.
Zhu Shen's face turned green. Damn it, he'd only just escaped the Holy Child Phantom, and now the patrol had caught them red-handed! In the dead of night, covered in dirt, standing beside an eerie altar radiating evil energy... How could he explain this? That they'd been conducting an in-depth follow-up investigation into nocturnal Martial Soul research in the field (dancing)? Who would believe that?!
Tang San looked at Zhu Shen nervously, too. Zhu Shen took a deep breath. The face the system had certified as 20% thick tightened once more. He quickly straightened his collar and brushed off the dirt (with little effect), then instantly switched to a complicated expression of "delight," "relief," and "academic fervor." He raised his voice toward the blinding light above.
"Wonderful! You patrol officers arrived just in time! We've just discovered a secret Evil Soul Master hideout! It's right down here! Hurry, come down! There's something strange about this altar. It just released a burst of energy! We're Yu Xiaogang of Notting Academy, and we need your support!"
As he shouted, he gave Tang San a look, signaling him to play along. Tang San silently lowered his head and tried to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. His teacher's ability to lie through his teeth was becoming ever more polished.
The patrol leader's hand, still holding the Soul Guidance Lamp, froze in midair, and the corner of his mouth twitched violently again. The team members behind him exchanged looks, their expressions a sight to behold. The awkward dancing from earlier was still fresh in their minds, and now the man was claiming to have "discovered a hideout" beside an evil altar underground? The Grandmaster of Notting Academy had such a... distinctive style! The patrol leader took a deep breath. He looked at Zhu Shen's face, straining to appear "sincere" and "urgent," then at the half-grown boy beside him, who looked utterly dejected. At last, through clenched teeth, he forced out:
"...Secure the entrance! You two, come down with me and take a look! Everyone else, stay on guard! Call for reinforcements!"